I had an email from Alex at NUM explaining how Vivastreet have been a big help in trying to raise funds for National Ugly Mugs, and have already raised some in the past. Now NUM has been nominated for the Charity Times awards, but the tickets are very expensive and they don't want to use Ugly Mugs money to pay for the team to attend the awards ceremony. If they don't attend though, they won't win.

To help rustle up some cash so that hopefully the whole NUM team can go along, Vivastreet are holding a silent auction where fifteen people can win a top price ad, and all details are here: try.vivastreetads.co.uk/uglymugssilentauction/

Let's help the NUM folk get out of the office for a bit .

Amy is there an account set up anywhere that we can simply donate to the cause.

Much that I think NUM is great, nearly all such dinners are commercial events for the benefit of the commercial organisations, like Charity Times's publisher, that run them.

Oh look, a 'short-list' of ten, each of whom feels some reason to pay at least ?375+VAT for one seat.

(Just noticed..

If they don't attend though, they won't win.

Appalling.)

Oh look, twenty nine awards...

If anyone is determined to bid on an auction, the NUM quilt offered by NUM on eBay at the moment would seem to be a better item to go for.

Ian I completely agree, but unfortunately this is the situation.

They're asking openly for people to help with the ticket costs of attending rather than sticking their hands in the till and using money needed for taking reports and sending alerts, and in terms of future funding and publicity it would be brilliant. We all know that despite all the work done gathering valuable intelligence on people who badly need to be got off the streets, as far as many charity-donating types are concerned sex workers are somewhere slightly further down the Most Deserving food chain than homeless budgies with diabetes. Plus it's a fancy works night out at a nice hotel, which I know as I've worked from it several times .

There's no denying the Vivastreet ads are worth a few quid - it's an expensive site. Last I heard, four people work at National Ugly Mugs so if the fifteen winners bid their hourly rate that should get the tickets on its own, especially if others chip a bit in too (and that's really just an example - I'm sure they're not expecting all the cash to come just from this anyway and even half of it would be fab).

Even I might do a bid, even though I know if I win I'll wind up throwing the phone in the sea after the ad's been up for half a day .

I had a look for this but couldn't find it!

If you Google rather than searching eBay I think I found it off the NUM facebook page; my phone won't show eBay so I can't get the item number .

For anyone else looking, it's at..

ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-UNIQUE-American-Handcrafted-Patchwork-Quilt-Double-Charity-Auction-/261963938735

.. and ends at 9:20pm UK time on Saturday.